FEMA aid for Tuscaloosa County up to $165K

Of the more than $12 million in disaster relief funds approved statewide as a result of the April 28-May 5 storms, about $165,000 has been directed to Tuscaloosa County.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

Of the more than $12 million in disaster relief funds approved statewide as a result of the April 28-May 5 storms, about $165,000 has been directed to Tuscaloosa County.The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program and will go to 34 property owners affected by the storms.Of this total, $128,910 went toward housing assistance and $36,814 was for additional needs not covered by insurance, such as temporary housing or medical expenses, said FEMA spokeswoman Renee Bafalis.For the nine Alabama counties approved for FEMA assistance, Mobile and Baldwin counties have claimed the most in financial aid at $2.81 million and $6.45 million, respectively, as of Friday.Property owners in Baldwin, Blount, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Lee, Limestone, Mobile and Tuscaloosa counties have until July 1 to register with FEMA for its Individual Assistance Program, which includes aid through the U.S. Small Business Administration.The SBA has approved about $3.4 million to Alabama property owners through its low-interest disaster loan program, but individual county totals were not available.Other statewide figures indicate that 87 percent — 6,882 of 7,899 — of damaged homes and property have been inspected, and 2,990 visits have been made to the nine disaster recovery centers in designated counties.The Alabama/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Tuscaloosa County, located at the Salvation Army building at 1601 University Blvd. E., is still operational and will be open Memorial Day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.Recovery officials urge all Alabama residents who have registered for assistance to stay in contact with FEMA throughout the recovery process, especially during the first weeks after registering when FEMA housing inspectors must contact applicants to view damages.Those with mobile phones should provide their numbers to FEMA during the registration.Registration can take place at the recovery centers or online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone at m.fema.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 (800-462-7585 for the hearing-impaired).